The Pakistan Junior League (PJL) was a professional 20-over cricket[1] league contested by Under-19 teams representing different cities of Pakistan.[2] The league was soft-launched on 14 April 2022 by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman, Ramiz Raja.[3] The only installment, the 2022 Pakistan Junior League (also known as PJL1), was played from 6–21 October 2022, featuring six teams and 19 games, at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.[4] Draft for the league was held on 8 Sep 2022, 24 foreign players from nine different countries were selected by teams along with 66 local players.[5] It featured six teams playing 19 games in a round robin league format, at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.[6] It was the first international league to exclusively consist of junior cricketers.[7] Bahawalpur Royals beat Gwadar Sharks in the final on 21 October and became the inaugural and only champions of the PJL. The league was dissolved in December 2022.
 Official logo of PJL | |
| Countries | Pakistan |
|---|---|
| Administrator | Pakistan Cricket Board |
| Format | 20-over cricket |
| First edition | 2022 |
| Latest edition | 2022 |
| Tournament format | Single Round Robin |
| Number of teams | 6 |
| Most successful | Bahawalpur Royals (1 title) |
| Website | www |
History
editConception
editWe talked about [improving the] pathways to professional cricket. In October next year, we'll launch an U19 PSL. This is very exciting because it's never happened anywhere else.
—Ramiz Raja, November 2021[8]
Shortly after his promotion to the position of PCB Chairman in September 2021, Ramiz Raja outlined his plans to improve cricket in Pakistan.[9] Highlighting that the board needed to facilitate the transformation of young cricketers into world-class players, he expressed the desire to introduce an 'Under-19 T20 World League'.[10] Over the following months, further details of this vision were outlined and Raja described his aspiration to expand the already successful Pakistan Super League (PSL) into two additional versions tailored to youth cricket and women's cricket.[8] At the 67th Board of Governors meeting in December 2021, Pakistan's Pathway Cricket Foundation was identified as an initiative that would look to nurture 100 young cricketers in preparation for the upcoming launch of an 'U-19 PSL'.[11]
Launch
editOn 14 April 2022, the PCB, through their official website, announced the launch of the PJL.[12] The announcement was accompanied by a statement from Raja who confirmed the inaugural season would take place in October 2022.[13] In addition, the PCB had initiated the process to secure title, category sponsorships, live streaming providers and franchise owners.[14] The competition was to be a city-based league with players selected through a draft system.[15] The PCB planned to involve international age-group cricketers from various nations as well.[16]
Marketing
editThe season's logo variant was unveiled with the hashtag #Next11 and #PJL also being used on social media.[citation needed]
The tournament was broadcast live on PTV Sports and live streamed on Geo Super’s App and Geo Super’s YouTube and Facebook pages in Pakistan. Live streaming was made available on the PCB YouTube/Facebook and PJL YouTube/Facebook channels for the rest of the world.[citation needed]
The tournament broadcast was done through a 22 camera full HD production including enhancements such as Buggy cam and drone camera.[citation needed]
The commentary panel for the inaugural edition included prominent commentators Daren Ganga, Dominic Cork and Mike Haysman. Former Pakistan captain Sana Mir, former Zimbabwe player Tino Mawoyo and seasoned broadcaster Sikander Bakht was also a part of the panel. Roha Nadeem was the presenter.[citation needed]
Dissolution
editThe Pakistan Junior League was dissolved by the newly appointed PCB Management Committee on 31 December 2022.[17][18] It was dissolved after the first edition had cost approximately Rs. 997 million and had earned returns of Rs. 190 million, causing losses of US$4 million.[19][20][21]
Teams
editOn 30 August 2022, PCB announced the names of the six teams for the inaugural edition of the Pakistan Junior League, each representing one city of Pakistan. These names were different from those used by the teams of the Pakistan Super League. Although the PCB had initially had planned a franchise model similar to that of PSL, it decided to take up the ownership of the teams itself after the base price set up for the ownership of teams was not met by the bidders.[22]
| Team | Founded | Mentor[23] |
|---|---|---|
| Bahawalpur Royals | 2022 |  Imran Tahir
|
| Gujranwala Giants | 2022 |  Shoaib Malik
|
| Gwadar Sharks | 2022 |  Viv Richards
|
| Hyderabad Hunters | 2022 | Daren Sammy
|
| Mardan Warriors | 2022 | Shahid Afridi
|
| Rawalpindi Raiders | 2022 |  Colin Munro
|
Draft
editDraft for the league was held on 8 Sep 2022, 24 foreign players from nine different countries were selected by teams along with 66 local players.[24] The opening ceremony and first match of the tournament was held at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on 6 October 2022.[25] The 2022 PJL cost Rs. 997 million and incurred losses of US$4 million which caused the PJL to be dissolved by the newly appointed PCB management committee.[26][27][28]
Venues
editAll the matches of the PJL took place at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, Pakistan.
| Lahore | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gaddafi Stadium | |||
| Capacity: 27,000 | |||
| |||
| Matches: 19 | |||
League stage
editFormat
editThe six teams played 5 matches each and got 2 points for every win, none for a loss and 1 point for a no result. The top four teams in the group stage qualified for the play-offs.
A warm-up match was played between Hyderabad Hunters and Rawalpindi Raiders in which Hyderabad Hunters defeated Rawalpindi Raiders by 7 wickets.[29]
Points table
edit| Team[30] | Pld | W | L | D | T | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gwadar Sharks (R) | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1.231 |
| Bahawalpur Royals (C) | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0.821 |
| Rawalpindi Raiders (4th) | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | -0.067 |
| Mardan Warriors (3rd) | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | -0.429 |
| Gujranwala Giants | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -0.280 |
| Hyderabad Hunters | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1.550 |
- The top 4 teams qualified for the Playoffs
- Advanced to Qualifier 1
- Advanced to Eliminator
League progression
edit| Round-robin stage | Knockout | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Q1/E | Q2 | F | |
| Bahawalpur Royals | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | L | W | W | |
| Gujranwala Giants | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||||
| Gwadar Sharks | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | W | L | ||
| Hyderabad Hunters | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Mardan Warriors | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | W | L | ||
| Rawalpindi Raiders | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | L | |||
| Won | Lost | No result |
- Note: The total points at the end of each group match are listed.
- Note: Click on the points (group matches) or W/L (knockout) to see the match summary.
Fixtures
editThe PCB confirmed the fixtures for the tournament.[31]
Gujranwala Giants
131/7 (20 over) |
v
|
Mardan Warriors
132/2 (16.5 overs) |
Uzair Mumtaz 54 (47)
Aimal Khan 3/15 (4 overs) |
George Thomas 50 (32)
Mohammad Ibtisam 1/22 (3.5) |
- Mardan Warriors won the toss and elected to field.
Hyderabad Hunters
113/10 (18.3 over) |
v
|
Bahawalpur Royals
117/2 (12.4 over) |
Saad Baig 34 (24)
Arham Nawab 3/15 (4 overs) |
Basit Ali 54 (30)
Haseeb-ur-Rehman 1/9 (2 Overs) |
- Bahawalpur Royals won the toss and elected to field.
Rawalpindi Raiders
116/10 (19 overs) |
v
|
Gwadar Sharks
150/5 (20 overs) |
Aseer Mughal 26 (23)
M. Shoaib 3/12 (4 overs) |
Arafat Minhas 40(24)
Afnan Khan 3/20 (4 overs) |
- Rawalpindi Raiders won the toss and elected to field.
Gujranwala Giants
179/6 (20 overs) |
v
|
Bahawalpur Royals
180/5 (19.4 overs) |
Shevon Daniel 81(51)
Muhammad Zeeshan 2/25 (3 overs) |
Basit Ali 102(58)
Muhammad Shan 3/44 (4 overs) |
- Bahawalpur Royals won the toss and elected to field.
Hyderabad Hunters
182/5 (20 overs) |
v
|
Gwadar Sharks
186/5 (19.5 overs) |
Saad Baig 64(45)
Saad Masood 3/26 (3 overs) |
Shamyl Hussain 87(57)
Muhammad Zubair Jr. 2/20 (2.5 overs) |
- Gwadar Sharks won the toss and elected to field.
Rawalpindi Raiders
134/5 (19.4 overs) |
v
|
Mardan Warriors
131/8 (20 overs) |
Charlie Tear 34(27)
Mohammad Nabeel 2/23 (4 overs) |
Archie Lenham 31(37)
Ziaullah 3/22 (4 overs) |
- Rawalpindi Raiders won the toss and elected to field.
Bahawalpur Royals
145/4 (20 overs) |
v
|
Mardan Warriors
147/5 (19.1 overs) |
Ali Razzaq 44 (43)
Abbas Ali 1/14 (1 over) |
George Thomas 58 (39)
Muhammad Zeeshan 2/17 (4 overs) |
- Mardan Warriors won the toss and elected to field.
Hyderabad Hunters
40/8 (5 overs) |
v
|
Rawalpindi Raiders
125/4 (16 overs) |
Ali Naseer 12 (5)
Afnan Khan 3/7 (2 overs) |
Hassan Eisakheil 52 (36)
James Wood 1/9 (2 overs) |
- Rawalpindi Raiders won the toss and elected to bat.
- Rawalpindi Raiders innings was shortened due to a thunderstorm at the end of 16th over with the total 125/4 and Hyderabad Hunters given a target of 55 in 5 overs.
Gujranwala Giants
87 (15.4 overs) |
v
|
Gwadar Sharks
131/10 (20 overs) |
Arafat Minhas 37 (30)
Mohammad Ibtisam 2/21 (4 overs) |
Shavon Daniel 28 (26)
Arafat Minhas 4/13 (2 overs) |
- Gujranwala Giants won the toss and elected to field.
Mardan Warriors
133/6 (19.2 overs) |
v
|
Hyderabad Hunters
128/6 (20 overs) |
Haseebullah Khan 49* (39)
Ali Naseer 3/41 (5 overs) |
Ali Naseer 54* (37)
Mohammad Irfan jr. 2/17 (4 overs) |
- Hyderabad Hunters won the toss and elected to bat
Match 11
14 October 2022 13:30 [ Scorecard] |
Rawalpindi Raiders
128 (19.3 overs) |
v
|
Gujranwala Giants
129/6 (18.1 overs) |
Habibullah 55 (53)
Matthew Tromp 3/19 (4 overs) |
Uzair Mumtaz 56* (43)
Ali Raza 2/25 (2 overs) |
- Gujranwala Giants won the toss and elected to field.
Bahawalpur Royals
122/2 (14.4 overs) |
v
|
Gwadar Sharks
119/8 (20 overs) |
Shawaiz Irfan 51* (30)
Arafat Minhas 1/15 (3 overs) |
Haseeb Nazim 26 (23)
Nangeyalia kharote 2/20 (4 overs) |
- Bahawalpur Royals won the toss and elected to field.
Hyderabad Hunters
129/8 (20 overs) |
v
|
Gujranwala Giants
133/4 (16.2 overs) |
Saad Baig 43 (44)
Uzair Mumtaz 3/13 (3 overs) |
Azan Awais 61 (43)
Mohammad Zubair 2/26 (3 overs) |
- Hyderabad Hunters won the toss and elected to bat.
Bahawalpur Royals
140/9 (20 overs) |
v
|
Rawalpindi Raiders
163/7 (20 overs) |
Basit Ali Jnr. 44 (32)
Aseer Mughal 3/19 (4 overs) |
Habibullah 36 (23)
Arham Nawab 2/24 (4 overs) Nathan Edwards 2/24 (4 overs) |
- Bahawalpur Royals won the toss and elected to field.
Playoffs
edit| Qualifier 1 | Qualifier 2 | Final | |||||||||||
| 18 October — Lahore | 21 October — Lahore | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Gwadar Sharks | 141/2 (18.2 overs) | 1 | Gwadar Sharks | 139 (15.1 overs) | ||||||||
| 2 | Bahawalpur Royals | 139/7 (20 overs) | 20 October — Lahore | 2 | Bahawalpur Royals | 225/3 (20 overs) | |||||||
| 2 | Bahawalpur Royals | 133/1 (14.5 overs) | |||||||||||
| Eliminator | 4 | Mardan Warriors | 132/9 (20 overs) | ||||||||||
| 19 October — Lahore | |||||||||||||
| 3 | Rawalpindi Raiders | 121 (19.3 overs) | |||||||||||
| 4 | Mardan Warriors | 122/4 (18.4 overs) | |||||||||||
Qualifier 1
editGwadar Sharks
141/2 (18.2 overs) |
v
|
Bahawalpur Royals
139/7 (20 overs) |
Luc Benkenstein 71 (37)
Nathan Edward 1/18 (4 overs) |
Danish Mohammad 33 (31)
Mohammad Ismail 3/14 (4 overs) |
- Gwadar Sharks won the toss and elected to field.
Eliminator
editRawalpindi Raiders
121 (19.3 overs) |
v
|
Mardan Warriors
122/4 (18.4 overs) |
Habibullah 65 (51)
Abidullah 3/17 (overs) |
Shahzaib Khan 35 (32)
Hassan Eisakhil 1/13 (1.4 overs) |
- Rawalpindi Raiders won the toss and elected to bat.
Qualifier 2
editFinal
editGwadar Sharks
139 (15.1 overs) |
v
|
Bahawalpur Royals
225/3 (20 overs) |
Shamyl Hussain 67 (34)
Mohammad Zeeshan 3/27 (3.1 overs) |
Shawaiz Irfan 79 (32)
Momin Qamar 2/34 (4 overs) |
- Gwadar Sharks won the toss and elected to field.
- Bahawalpur Royals won the 2022-23 Pakistan Junior League
Team of the tournament
edit| Players |
|---|
|
Results
editThe only champions were Bahawalpur Royals, who defeated Gwadar Sharks in the final.
Season results
edit| Season | No. of teams | Final | Venue | Player of the series | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Winning margin | Runner-up | ||||
| 2022 Details |
6 | Bahawalpur Royals
225/3 (20 overs) |
86 runs Scorecard |
Gwadar Sharks 139 (15.1 overs) |
Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore | Shawaiz Irfan (Bahawalpur Royals)
|
Team results
edit| Season (No. of teams) |
2022 (6) |
|---|---|
Hosts(s) Teams
|
|
| Bahawalpur Royals | W (2nd) |
| Gujranwala Giants | 5th |
| Gwadar Sharks | R (1st) |
| Hyderabad Hunters | 6th |
| Mardan Warriors | 3rd (4th) |
| Rawalpindi Raiders | 4th (3rd) |
- Notes
- W = Winner;
- R = Runner-up;
- (x) = End of league games table position;
References
edit- ^ "Lahore to host inaugural Pakistan Junior League from 1-15 Oct". Pakistan Cricket Board. 10 January 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
- ^ "PCB releases details for PSL-like junior league". Geo TV. 14 April 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
- ^ "PCB releases Pakistan Junior League details". PCB. 14 April 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
- ^ "PSL franchises, corporates on board for inaugural Pakistan Junior League". ESPNcricinfo. 29 April 2022.
- ^ "PCB BoG endorses PJL". www.thenews.com.pk.
- ^ "PSL franchises, corporates on board for inaugural Pakistan Junior League". ESPNcricinfo.
- ^ "PCB introduces first-ever Pakistan Junior League (PJL) to nurture young talents at grassroot level". CricTracker. 15 April 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
- ^ a b "Ramiz Raja hints at women's PSL for Pakistan in the near-future". ESPNcricinfo. 10 November 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
- ^ "Ramiz Raja formally elected PCB chairman". ESPNcricinfo. 13 September 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
- ^ "PCB Chairman Announces New Under-19 T20 World League". propakistani. 13 September 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
- ^ "67th BoG meeting held in Karachi". PCB. 22 December 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
- ^ "PCB releases Pakistan Junior League details". www.pcb.com.pk. 10 January 2014. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
- ^ "Rolling out PJL… Pakistan Junior League, the first ever age franchise cricket of its kind". Twitter. 14 April 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
- ^ "Ramiz Raja Tweet". Twitter. 14 April 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
- ^ "PCB takes first step towards creating PSL-style league for juniors". Dawn. 15 April 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
- ^ "Pakistan Cricket Board releases details of Junior League". A Sports. 14 April 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
- ^ "Pakistan Junior League scrapped by new PCB administration". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
- ^ "PCB Management Committee discontinues PJL". www.geosuper.tv. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
- ^ "Pakistan Junior League cost PCB PKR 1Billion, unlikely to continue". cricketpakistan.com.pk. 29 December 2022. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
- ^ Jan, Imad Ali (28 December 2022). "New PCB Regime Hints at Scrapping Ramiz's Brainchild Pakistan Junior League". Retrieved 31 December 2022.
- ^ "PCB postpones women's T20 league to September". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
- ^ "PCB forced to abandon franchise model for Pakistan Junior League". ESPNcricinfo. 31 August 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
- ^ "Mentors confirmed for Pakistan Junior League teams". The News International. 31 August 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
- ^ "PCB BoG endorses PJL". www.thenews.com.pk.
- ^ Yaqoob, Mohammad (6 October 2022). "Youngsters set to showcase talent as Pakistan Junior League starts today". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ^ "Pakistan Junior League scrapped by new PCB administration". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
- ^ "Pakistan Junior League cost PCB PKR 1Billion, unlikely to continue". cricketpakistan.com.pk. 29 December 2022. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
- ^ Jan, Imad Ali (28 December 2022). "New PCB Regime Hints at Scrapping Ramiz's Brainchild Pakistan Junior League". Retrieved 31 December 2022.
- ^ "The Controversial Face of Pakistan Cricket", Cricket Cauldron, I.B.Tauris, 2013, ISBN 978-1-78076-083-4, retrieved 1 April 2024
- ^ "Pakistan Junior League 2022/23". EPCB. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
- ^ "PCB announces schedule for PJL 2022". PCB. 6 October 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
- ^ "Arafat Minhas named captain of Team of Pakistan Junior League". www.pcb.com.pk. 10 January 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ PCB; World, Cricket; October 2022, Pakistan Junior League Saturday 22. "Arafat Minhas named captain of Team of Pakistan Junior League". Cricket World. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
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